Improved clothes-like holdeb



A. J. SIMPSON.

CLOTHES LINE HOLDER.

Patented July 2, 1867.

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A. J. SIMPSON, OF WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA. Letters Patent No. 66,403, dated July 2, 1867.

IMPROVED CLOTHES-LINE HOLDER.

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TO ALL WHOM IT MAY concerts;

Be it known that I, A. J. SIMPSON, of the'city-and county of Washington, and District of Columbia, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Clothes-Line Hooks and Holders; and I do hereby declare the following to be a clear and exact description of the nature thereof, suflicient to enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to fully understand and use the same, reference being bad to the accompanying drawings, making part of this specification, whichrepresents a front view of the device illustrating my invention.

My invention consists of a hook for holding a clothes-line, and a lock for preventing the same from slipping, as will be hereinafter more fully described.

In the drawings, A represents a plate or bar made, by preference, of cast malleable iron. On the front side of this plate there projects a hook, B, of ordinary form and construction, and cast with the plate. Suitable holes or openings a are made in the platc,-so that it can be secured to the fence or post in the yard or on w the flat, as may be desired. In lieu of these openings, I construct the lower part of the plate with a screw shank, b, which will also readily form means of attachment in place of nails or screws. The great disadvantage of the ordinary wroughtdron hooks for holding clothes-lines is, that in driving them into their proper places the hooks turn or bend, and in order to bring them into proper shape they must be struck or hammered, thus loosening and weakening their hold in the wood. If it be desired to remove said hooks it can be done by great strain by a pair of pincers or some prying device, whereby the pointed shank of the hook twists, bends, and breaks, or becomes worthless and impossible to be driven into place. My invention will remedy this evil. There will be no blows o'n'the hook, for the nails or screws are readily applied, and will pass through the apertures of the plate into the wood. The screw-shank 6 also admits of easy application and withdrawal from the Wood. In either case the plate care secured wherever desired, and removed or changed from place to place at pleasure. No parts will be broken or are liable to get out of order. In order to more firmly hold the line on the hook I cut away two of the sides in an inwardly-curved direction, as at a, so that the line will not be liable to slip upwards. For holding the end of the line I have constructed a locking device, which is but an attachment to the plate and book. At a point of the plate A corresponding opposite to-the hook B I place an arm, 6, from which is suspended a swinging-lock, C, which, in general construction, may be said to resemble the are e of a circle, with two radii,f, which connect the ends of the arc, and at whose junction g the lock is pivoted and suspended. I adopt this form, for it saves much material, although the entire lock may be'madc in one solid piece. The arm d may be dispensed with, and the lock be merely pivoted to the plate. The arm, however, is preferred, for it supports the pivot. The lower face'of the curve or are may be corrugated, serrated, tar-toothed, and .will sweep over the inner face of the bottom of the book, but not in contact with it. When the lock is at rest the central point of the arc will be directly in the centre of the hook, and will always seek this centre. It is evident that when theline or rope is introduced, and any strain be thereon, it will be clamped by the lock against the inner face' oi' thc bottom'of the hook,-and thus securely held, be prevented from slipping.

As I desi n not to employ a. locking devicewith every'hook, but merely with those at the places where the ends of the line would be, itwill be perceived that it is necessary to slip the line over the hooks, and when the ends or" the line are reached to raise the lock, and when the line is on the hook to allow the lock to fail, and it two locks will operate in opposite directions, but always towards the strain on the line.

The apertures a or screw-shank 6 may be employed for securing the plate in place. I prefer the latter, for it will allow the plate to turn in the direction of the line. I construct the'entire device of metal, by preference of cast malleable iron. I combine simplicity, utility, and economy in my hook and holder, and produce a desirable household convenience. a

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is- The clothes-line holder, consisting of the swinging-lock C and hook B, constructed and arranged substantially as described.

.To the above I have signed my name this 24th day of May, 1867. v

4 J. SIMPSON.

Witnesses:

Joan A. Wrannnsxam, D. 0113A?- 

